In Earnest
by lurv2boogie
Summary: James and Lily find that whatever they do, be it fight or kiss, they do it in earnest. A snappy little fic on the beginnings of their relationship. ONESHOT, JL. Marauders era.


"LEAVE ME ALONE, POTTER!"

The surrounding students merely rolled their eyes. It was a common occurrence on a Friday night in the Gryffindor Common Room – undoubtedly James Potter had been attempting to woo Lily Evans into going out with him. Evidently, she was still resisting his advances.

"But my Red Lily," James said in a sugary tone. "Fairest of all Gryffindors. However shall I go on without you?"

"You've been doing well enough so far." Lily said, her face flushing angrily. James sighed as though dealing with a precocious four-year-old.

"Lily, sweetie, I'm trying to be nice to you." At this, Lily snorted.

"And what a bloody marvellous job you're doing. Just shut up and leave me alone!" James stepped forward, grinning cheekily.

"No." he said. Lily's eyes boggled.

"What?"

"No." James told her again, simply. The red head before him stared.

"Why not?"

"Because, my red Lily, I have tried to get you to go out with me for years, and this is my last year to persuade you. I refuse to give up." James yelled this last statement proudly, hands on his hips in defiance. Lily took a step towards him menacingly.

"It doesn't matter what you do, now that I think about it. I'll still say no." Scared onlookers stared at the two Heads, wondering where this was leading them. They soon found out.

"Ah, well. I suppose it doesn't really matter if you say no, either." As he spoke, James reached forward and lifted Lily up by her armpits, putting her across his shoulder. Lily screamed at him, beating his back with her fists.

"PUT ME DOWN! JAMES, IF YOU DON'T LET ME GO RIGHT NOW I'LL – I'LL – "

"You'll what?" James asked her, staring rather unashamedly at her bottom. "Tell McGonagall? Oh, please."

"I won't tell McGonagall," Lily said quietly, "But I will yell at the top of my voice about what happened last summer when you came across a forgotten teddy bear and-"

"All right, Merlin, I'll put you down!" James said hastily, swinging her back over his shoulder and to her feet. Lily glared at him for a few moments before storming away to the portrait hole.

"Lily? Lily, where are going?" James yelled after her. When he got no response, he indicated towards the portrait hole to his three friends, seated on the couches in the Common Room, and strode purposefully towards the exit. When he had climbed through, he found Lily waiting, stony faced, for him on the other side.

"Lily! What are you-" he began, but was interrupted by Lily's open hand coming into contact with his cheek.

"How _dare _you do that to me, Potter! Just as we were starting to actually get along!" Lily said to him angrily. James blanched.

"I didn't mean to-"

"To what? To WHAT exactly?" Lily yelled. "To ruin what was starting to become an actual friendship with me? Was _that_ it? Your master plan?" she added bitterly.

"No, I just thought it was going so well that I might try asking you out another go and-"

"MERLIN! Haven't you got the message James? I'm not going to go out with you if you keep asking me!" Lily paused, realising what she had let slip and cursing herself silently. Meanwhile, James' face was lighting up. It was as though all his Christmases and birthdays had come at once.

"So, if I stop asking you out, you'll go out with me?"

"That's not what I said."

"Yes, it is," James said, his voice sounding as though it were tempering anger now. "You said, 'I won't go out with you if you keep asking me!'. That means, if I stop asking you-"

"Well, that's not what I meant!" Lily told him. He grimaced, glancing down, and when his eyes met hers again she saw that they were filled with anger.

"Well, when you work out what you really mean, you let me know, all right! You're so wrapped up in yourself that you can't see how much I have tried to change _myself_ for you! I've done all I can. Now, you're just being a selfish cow because you're afraid of what might happen if you start to enjoy being with me!" Lily couldn't believe her ears. He had actually said something offensive about _her_.

"You have no right to call me a cow! You moron!"

"I've had enough of this, Evans." James said, and stalked off towards the Head's tower before she could get another word in. Lily stared after him forlornly, regretting the conversation. She had really been starting to fall for the idiot.

---

One snowy January afternoon, after spending several hours studying from a very battered copy of _Advanced Potion Making_, Lily resolved to take a break and walk down to the lake for some fresh air to clear her head.

Lily reached the stone arches and stepped out onto the grounds, walking across to Hagrid's hut. A fifth year Care of Magical Creatures class was taking place, and Lily could see the stick figures of Bowtruckles galloping around each student while the class tried to draw a diagram of the anatomy of the strange wooden creatures.

Stopping a few feet from the lake, Lily stretched and looked around. She was the only student in sight, apart from the Bowtruckle class. She gingerly stepped forward, walking right to the edge of the lake and sat, cross legged, thinking. James had made a few attempts to talk to her, all of which she had resisted. Despite the fact that she was still incredibly angry with him, Lily felt a pang of sadness whenever he caught her eye.

And so, when she heard his all too familiar voice behind her, she did nothing to stop him sitting down opposite her.

"What are you doing?" James asked politely. Lily noticed the uncertainty in his tone.

"Sitting. Thinking. You?"

"I'd say thinking, but I haven't seemed to be doing to much of that of late, have I?"

"If you're here to apologise, then-"

"I am," James cut across her. "I'm sorry. Of course, I'm not after you just because I can't have you. I…well, I'm pretty sure I can't finish that sentence without quoting several love clichés." Lily laughed softly, then stopped herself suddenly.

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" James asked, apparently genuinely confused. Lily sighed.

"Pretend that everything's fine. Pretend that… pretend that everything's okay between us."

"It's…. not okay? Why can't it be? I just want it to be, so why can't it?" James said, sounding like a little boy.

"Just because it can't." Lily said, knowing that he would not be satisfied with that answer.

"That's stupid. There's got to be a reason why it can't be okay. I can accept it if you're angry with me, I can accept it if you just don't like me, I can accept any other reason than just 'because'."

"I can't give you any other reason." Lily said. She stared at her hands as she spoke.

"Why do you hate me, Lily?" James asked suddenly. Lily looked horrified.

"I don't hate you James!" she said, shaking her head vehemently. He shrugged, and Lily's eyes filled with tears, her tone losing it's frantic quality. "I don't hate you, James. It's just… it's complicated. Everything used to be so straightforward. You made your feelings towards me pretty clear, and I made mine clear too. You were an arrogant, bullying arse, and I didn't like you. So why did you have to… go and change everything? Why did you have to be nice to me? Why did you have to make things so complicated?" James was startled by the ready emotion in her words, the fat tears that rolled down her pale cheeks.

"Why are they complicated?" James asked quietly.

"I think I'm afraid to answer that question." Lily replied truthfully. James was touched by her sincerity.

"Then let me try another?" he said after a beat.

"Okay." Lily said, nodding slowly. It was another moment before James spoke.

"If I kissed you, right now, right this instant… if I kissed you, would you kiss me back?"

Lily smiled knowingly, and stood, hovering for a moment to gently tousle James hair. Then she walked away, leaving James sitting alone. And as James contemplated the strange conversation, watching Lily walk further and further away, he could have sworn he heard her say, "You needn't even ask.".

And so, when he next saw her, he didn't ask again. He just kissed her.

He wasn't surprised to find her respond in earnest.


End file.
